China’s Aviation Industry Corporation (AVIC) has introduced the Yi Long unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) at the 9th International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in southern Zhuhai, China.
The UAV has been under construction with the Chengdu aircraft-building institute since 2005 and completed its first test flight in 2008.
Capable of conducting military or civil missions, the 9.34m-long Yi Long UAV has a wingspan of 14m and a mass of 1t to support missions such as geophysical or post-disaster surveys.
With an endurance capability of up to 20 hours, the unmanned aircraft has a range of 4,000km and can reach a maximum altitude of 5,300m.
Similar in configuration to the General Atomics-built MQ-9 Reaper, the Yi Long drone features a V-tail and long-span straight wing, and is equipped with an electro-optical sensor turret under the forward fuselage, as well as two missiles under the wing.
